Welcome back to another week of Rumor Roundup where we dive into all the recent talk, transactions, and trends from around the league balancing both fantasy baseball implications and real-world baseball analysis through the lens of a front office.
Injury Updates
The Blue Jays have sent RHP Trey Yesavage on a rehab assignment. Yesavage, 22, was fantastic in his first taste of big league action last year and entered 2026 with sky-high expectations. He was limited during camp with shoulder impingement and was eventually placed on the IL. Yesavage will start his rehab journey with the club’s Single-A affiliate.
More Blue Jays: RHP Cody Ponce has been placed on the IL with an ACL sprain. This is beyond terrible news… Ponce has looked phenomenal in a limited sample size since returning to pro ball. The good news is he hasn’t been ruled out of regular season play yet. Catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured thumb) is also headed to the IL.
Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has also started his rehab assignment. He’ll begin his rehab with Double-A, however.
Diamondbacks infielder Jordan Lawlar has been placed on the IL with a fractured wrist and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks at minimum. This comes at a brutal time for the 23-year-old as he’s been really effective to start the year, improving his zCon% and turning in career-best marks (albeit miniscule sample sizes).
Red Sox RHP Johan Oviedo has been placed on the IL with elbow complications. His velocity has been noticeably down over his past few outings dating back to spring camp, and it’s been reported that elbow/forearm tightness has gotten worse as days begin to stack. Not an ideal sign. He has a consultation scheduled with Dr. Keith Meister.
Royals RHP Carlos Estévez has been placed on the IL after taking a comebacker to the foot. Perhaps during this rest period the Royals will also look into the majorly concerning drop in velo he’s experienced throughout 2026.
The Giants have placed RHP José Buttó (right forearm fatigue) on the IL. Butto, 28, posted a 3.70 FIP in 2025 but has been tagged really hard to start the 2026 season.
The Rockies have placed LHP Jose Quintana (right hamstring strain) on the IL. Quintana posted a sub-4.00 ERA with Milwaukee last season through 131.2 IP. It’s likely that he’ll be able to return to action without a rehab start.
The Mariners have activated infielder J.P. Crawford off the IL. He went 0-for-3 with a walk in his season debut.
Recent Transactions
The Boston Red Sox have re-acquired former Rule 5 picks, RHP Angel Bastardo (TOR) and RHP Jedixson Paez (CWS). Bastardo, 23, posted a 4.16 FIP and 29% K rate in his last fully healthy season (2023), turned in similar results in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, and returned to the mound for the first time with the Blue Jays this spring. Paez, 22, had never seen action above the High-A level prior to shockingly making his MLB debut with the White Sox after a semi-strong spring camp.
After DFA’ing Jedixson Paez, the White Sox selected the contract of RHP Lucas Sims. The 31-year-old was electric during camp, posting a .207 xwOBA and 17% SwStr rate while allowing zero (0) barrels and a 17% HH rate against 23 batters.
The Detroit Tigers have recalled Keider Montero from Triple-A. Montero, 25, has turned in mediocre results at the major league level but boasts a wicked slider that generated a 37% whiff rate and .255 xBA in 2025.
The Los Angeles Angels traded RHP Victor Mederos to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for international bonus pool cash considerations. Mederos, 24, has been ineffective during his major league tenure (6.95 FIP, sub-1% K-BB rate).
The Miami Marlins have traded RHP Garrett Acton to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for LHP Logan Whitaker. Acton turned in a 3.68 ERA/4.01 FIP with Triple-A with Tampa Bay last season while Whitaker posted a superb 2.11 ERA/2.90 FIP in 2025.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired LHP Jake Eder via the Washington Nationals in exchange for cash considerations. A former top prospect lefty, Eder has yet to post an ERA under 4.00 since his breakout campaign in 2023. There are still some intriguing traits, however, and never discount LAD’s Player Development staff.
Notable Prospect News
We can’t talk about prospects without acknowledging the promotion of Pirates infielder Konnor Griffin. The 19-year-old phenom had played just 127 games in the minors prior to making his major league debut yesterday. Griffin slashed .438/.571/.625 with a 227 wRC+ in Triple-A this season before going 1-for-3 with a 105.8 EV double.
Finally, in a surprising move, the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to pre-debut terms with prospect infielder Cooper Pratt. The deal is for roughly $51 million over eight seasons (not including escalators). Pratt, a 55 FV prospect per MLB Pipeline, slashed .238/.343/.348 with a 107 wRC+ in Double-A last year. He also tallied a whopping 31 stolen bases and profiles as a plus defender.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) | Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos
